American band The Killers wowed the crowd as the pre-game entertainment for the AFL grand final, prompting an outpouring of adoration with their rendition of an iconic Aussie rock song.

Lead singer Brandon Flowers and his band produced an incredible 16-minute set, including a mix of their hits and a nod to Aussie rock royalty, Midnight Oil.

They began their set with their hit When You Were Young, followed by fan favourites Somebody Told Me, The Man and Mr Brightside to get the MCG crowd out of their seats.

But it was their awesome cover of Midnight Oil’s Forgotten Years that really won over the fans, with Flowers telling the crowd, “don’t forget to thank God for Midnight Oil,” before breaking into song.

And according to AFL fans, The Killers lived up to their name and ‘killed’ their performance, helping their new album, Wonderful Wonderful, to skyrocket to the top of the Australian charts.

Some even deemed it the “best grand final entertainment ever”.

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But some on social media, including academic Dr Susan Carland, were quick to point out the Oil song is a particularly political one, about the disposession of Aboriginal land.

This comes after a week’s debate over the politicisation of sport, following the announcement rapper Macklemore would perform his same-sex marriage anthem Same Love at the NRL grand final on Sunday.

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The Killers’ awkward interview

The killer performance came after an awkward interview from Flowers and drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr with Richmond great and Channel Seven commentator Matthew Richardson.

The US rock superstars made it known they did not know much about Aussie Rules, or even the teams playing, as the man known as ‘Richo’ did his best to get the most out of them.

“You’re here for the new album Wonderful Wonderful which I can announce has gone No. 1 in Australia. That must be a thrill for you?” Richardson asked.

“Yeah. It’s awesome. We found out last night,” Vannucci Jr responded.

“Now, do you know anything about AFL footy? This is like the Super Bowl back in America,” Richardson questioned.

“That’s what we’ve come to understand. That it’s like the Super Bowl, but aside from that, not a lot,” Vannucci Jr said.

“We’ve learned a little bit, but I am not the person to ask,” Flowers added.

This interview with The Killers is so awkward, someone save poor Richo #aflgf

— Eliza Sum 沈韪嫦 (@ElizaSum) September 30, 2017

But it got worse for Richardson when the rocker admitted he didn’t even know who was playing.

“I don’t even know the teams that are playing. I know there’s the … Crows?” Vannucci Jr admitted.

The Killers duo were also tight-lipped on what they were going to play.

“How many songs are we going to get?” Richardson asked.

“Well we have about 16 minutes allotted. So think we have about six songs that we crammed in there, and then we’re going to play later on for about 45 minutes,” Flowers said.

Richardson wrapped the interview up by awkwardly complimenting Flowers on his jacket, who simply responded, “thank you man”.

NO 1 | @thekillers @mattricho0 joins Brandon + Ronnie

They may not know who's playing in #AFLGF but they promise to play their classics pic.twitter.com/kBcl5u5Lr2

— 7AFL (@7AFL) September 30, 2017